


Time of Our Descent

by KirbyChan



Category: Mystery Skulls (Band), Mystery Skulls Animated
Genre: Blood, Pre-Cave, Wendigo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-13
Updated: 2016-09-27
Packaged: 2018-08-14 04:19:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,210
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7998331
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KirbyChan/pseuds/KirbyChan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A case that seemed normal enough in the snowy mountains suddenly turns sour when the Skulls are confronted with a wendigo. Little is known about these creatures, but when Lewis starts to change after their close encounter, there is little time for research.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Just a quick note, this first part jumps around a lot. Originally I wrote this as a one-off thing after talking a lot about it with ectoimp on tumblr. But a lot of people wanted me to continue it so here it is :D

“What…the _FUCK_ was that?”

It took Lewis a few more seconds for his heart to stop racing before he even felt comfortable answering. “It was…uh…a w-wendigo, I think.”

“Okay, the fuck is a wendigo then?”

“I’ve only read about them once…” Lewis swallowed. “They’re like…demon…cannibal…things.”

“…Cannibals,” Arthur deadpanned. “You’re serious.”

“I really wish I wasn’t.”

Finally it seemed like the two of them could breathe. “This…may be a little over our heads here, Artie.”

“Ya think?”

“No, I’m serious. From what I read, these things are nuts. We need to find Vivi and Mystery and warn them. Maybe…hopefully figure out something. We didn’t plan for this.”

“Right.” Sighing, Arthur took out a walkie-talkie from his pocket. “Vi, you there?”

It took a few moments but soon enough they heard a response. “Yeah, what’s up?” And Lewis couldn’t help the breath of relief. At least she didn’t sound panicked. That meant she was fine, right?

“We need to regroup. Something big just happened.”

“Uh…alright. We’ll meet back at the cabin right now then.”

“Cool. See you then. And…be careful. There’s something really bad on this mountain.” He took his finger off the button and returned the device to his pocket.

They had to be extra careful on the trek back. “Why the hell would anyone resort to cannibalism?”

“Well, when you’re desperate…sometimes you don’t feel like you have a choice.”

Arthur snickered. “If we get hopelessly lost, you’re not eating me Lew.”

“Pft, why would I?” Lewis joked back. “You’re so scrawny. No meat on your bones.”

“Hey, I resent that! I’ve got plenty of muscle, thank you very much!”

“Whatever you say, Artie. Whateeeeever you say.”

–

“Wendigoes… Fuck, now I’m kinda wishing it was a yeti instead.”

Lewis and Arthur shared a nervous look. “Th-that bad, huh?”

“Worse. No wonder those people thought it was a demon. It was.”

“Alright, so what are we gonna do about this thing? These disappearances are just going to keep happening if we don’t stop it.”

“Arthur, I don’t even know if we’re _equipped_ enough for a wendigo!” Vivi began pacing. That was never a good sign. “At least, not right now. These things are demonic spirits. They possess people starving in the mountains that resort to cannibalism and they’re always hungry for human flesh.”

This was looking more and more grim by the second. Arthur tightened the grip on his knees. “So…we can’t stop it?”

“The only way to stop a wendigo is to kill it,” Mystery spoke this time, making both Lewis and Arthur flinch.

Vivi continued for him. “And that’s not easy It heals any wounds you give it, plus it’s super strong and can see perfectly in a blizzard.” Sighing, Vivi ran a hand through her hair. “Even if you do manage to kill it, you gotta dispose of the body in a very specific and meticulous way, otherwise the spirit’ll come back for revenge and kill its killer very very slowly. Or so the books say, anyway."

“But we’re investigators, Vivi.” Lewis’ voice was still soft. “Not hunters.”

“I know…”

–

The best course of action at this point seemed to be going back to the nearest city and doing some more research. If they couldn’t kill the thing then perhaps there was a way to stall it or keep it away from anybody living there. It was safe to say the people that had disappeared were…well… There wouldn’t be much left of them, one way or another.

It would have been a good plan, perhaps, had they not been cornered by the very thing they were chasing.

“BACK TO THE HOUSE!” Vivi screamed as the four of them made a break for it; Mystery leading and Lewis taking up the rear. They all dashed and fumbled through the trees with the wendigo in hot pursuit…so they assumed. They couldn’t hear anything in the trees, save for their own frantic steps and panting, but none of them wanted to risk a look back.

It felt like they were running forever before a yelp from behind drew the ones in front to a stop. Now they had no choice but to look back. “Lewis!”

He’d tripped over the fallen tree in their path. As quickly as they could, the rest of the Skulls ran to their fallen friend to help him to his feet, and they barely made it in time before the wendigo caught up. It snapped at Lewis, catching him on the leg and making him hiss in pain but they were already on the move again. They weren’t leaving anyone behind, no matter what. “Can you run?” Mystery asked in concern.

“Y-yeah, I’m fine! Move guys, we need to keep going!”

–

Arthur was convinced it was pure adrenaline that had saved their lives, especially Lewis’. They’d made it to the lodge and breathed and gasped many sighs of relief. “That…was WAY too close.” They were all banged up from the frantic chase here. Arthur could feel scratches and bruises all over his body, but none of that seemed to matter at the moment. They lived somehow. Right now they just needed to count their blessings.

“Oh my god! Lew, your leg!”

Or maybe not. Arthur winced when he looked over and saw the bite mark on his best friend’s leg. And he’d been running on that. Lewis was the luckiest out of all of them. “Vivi, I said I was fine…”

“Like hell you are. C’mon, sit down, I’m gonna go get a first aid kit.”

“H-hey!” Lewis was always startled by Vivi’s strength. She gently pushed him onto a chair and was already off and running before he even had a chance to protest. “Vivi, you guys are hurt too!”

“Forget about us, man,” Arthur breathed out and Mystery agreed with a small nudge. “You’re the one with the huge bite in your leg.”

“It’s not that bad, it’s just a scratch. It looks worse than it is, and I think the fall damaged me more. Come on guys, you really-"

“You’re getting blood all over the place. We’ll be fine for a little bit, Lew. You gotta get that thing patched up quick.”

–

Evidently waiting until morning was a much better idea than trying to brave the mountains at night. But even after they left the mountain to rethink their strategy, something wasn’t right. Every time Mystery looked at Lewis, something seemed off.

He looked just fine, if not a little pale, but that was probably from the small shock of everything that happened. Even Arthur and Vivi were a little more pale than normal ever since then. No, it was something else…

His scent. Something was completely wrong with it yet he couldn’t put his paw on it. “Lewis,” he asked out of the blue. “Are you feeling alright?”

“Is that why you’ve been staring at me?” Lewis replied with a small smile. “I’m fine, Mystery. Hungry, but fine.”

Funny. That didn’t make him feel any better.

–

“God, I’m _starving.”_

It had been a few days since their escape from the mountains and their research had gotten them nowhere. Even worse, Lewis had been getting stranger and stranger each passing day. He was looking even more pale than before and he constantly complained about how hungry he was. “Dude, you just ate.”

“I know, it’s weird… I feel like all I’ve been feeling the past few days is starving.”

Arthur and Vivi glanced at each other. That…wasn’t a good sign.

–

On the third day staying in town, the entire room was woken up by a scream from the bathroom.

Lewis was always the first one up no matter what. He was the very definition of a morning person so nobody could really complain that he always got to shower first. He usually didn’t scream though. Arthur knocked frantically on the door. “Lewis?! Buddy, you okay?! What happened?!”

When they didn’t get an answer, Vivi couldn’t wait for very long before bursting through the door. There was Lewis, staring at the mirror. “…Lew?” Vivi’s voice was soft.

“G-guys…I…” Slowly, Lewis turned around and his friends’ eyes widened at what they saw. Lewis’ teeth had sharpened to an alarming degree overnight, some even poking outside his mouth. “I th-think something’s w-wrong…”

–

“So it was the bite?”

Lewis couldn’t answer. He was curled up in the back of the van as they made their way back to the mountains. There was no more time to plan now. The only way to stop the curse was to kill the creature that caused it in the first place…before Lewis fully transformed.

“It must have been,” Mystery answered for him. “I truly didn't know that the curse of the wendigo could be spread that way. I assumed it was just when people were desperate for cannibalism, but..."

“So it's like a werewolf?” Arthur asked.

“In a way, I suppose...” Mystery cursed himself. He should have known better; the second he started feeling something was wrong with their friend. Now they were in this mess.

The van was silent for a while before a soft voice spoke up again. “How long do I have…?” Lewis asked and looked up from his face buried in his knees.

It felt like forever before Vivi found her voice. “I-I really don’t know, Lewlew…” she answered truthfully. “There was no info on anything like this… It’s not really like a werewolf where it happens only one night of the month. This is a…g-gradual transformation. That’s why we gotta get there as fast as we can and stop this thing before it gets you.”

“But…can we do that?”

Huffing, Vivi turned her eyes back to the road. “We’re sure as hell not gonna leave it like this, that’s for sure. Don’t worry Lew. We’ll get you back to normal. I promise.”

It was personal now.

–

“Maybe I should stay with him? Someone should, at any rate…”

Nobody was comfortable with the idea. Mystery couldn’t stay because they needed a way to track the wendigo and Vivi was the one with the silver bullets. Either one of them could possibly do this but they didn’t want to take the chance of the wendigo getting any closer to Lewis.

Arthur was volunteering but this wasn’t the time. “Arthur, I-”

“I really don’t think you should do that,” Lewis cut her off. His teeth had grown even more and his arms and legs had started to lengthen, his nails sharpening. “No offense Arthur but I _really_ don’t want to eat you.” He paused. “I mean, I kinda do, but I don’t… And this is a really weird conversation.”

 _“…YEAH._ No kidding…”

–

When they left, Lewis didn’t feel any safer. He was so hungry that it felt like he was going to keel over any second. But at least he knew he had to work through it. He just had to hold out for a little while longer. He couldn’t go with them and risk completely transforming and hurting them. In here…at least he was away from anyone he could possibly hurt.

But he tensed. Was it just him being paranoid or did he hear something from outside? He knew it wasn’t any of his friends or else they would have said something.

Oh god…what now?

There was a loud noise and suddenly the back doors were opened.

–

“It’s stalking us,” Mystery growled all around them. An urge he hadn’t felt in ages was starting to creep up but he held himself back. Arthur still didn’t know what he was and he wasn’t exactly eager to show it off. But at this rate…maybe he’d have no choice.

They heard a shuffle beside them and both Arthur and Vivi pointed their respective weapons. There it was…and it was even more ugly in the flesh.

What they weren’t expecting was the creature next to it. _“Lewis?!”_


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some graphic imagery in this one, be warned. Wendigoes are not pleasant creatures to look at.

This wasn’t how things were supposed to go.

“Oh fuck.”

The air around them was thick with the smell of rot and decay; it took everything the Mystery Skulls had not to gag as even when they exhaled, the smell seemed to stick to the insides of their mouths. The wendigo stood unnaturally tall, towering even over Lewis at his full height, and boney arms just as long hung at each side with thickly padded paws and talons like daggers resting on the ground, the skin looking like rubber as if someone had taken them and just…pulled.

Large horns akin to that of a stag’s protruded from its head, its deer-like ears up in alert. There was little matted fur left on it, only covering tiny patches along its arms, face, and legs. Its chest, once covered in skin, showed nothing but a ribcage, bloody chunks of flesh still slightly clinging to bone, and weak beating organs inside now going faster in agitation. The sound was horrible, raspy and gasping breaths cutting through the silent night’s air like a knife.

Its legs looked broken, as if its knees had been bent backwards instead of forwards. But from the way it moved to face them, the unnatural fluidity in its movements in both its arms and legs, obviously it was more agile than it looked. It looked almost ready to pounce, the sharp claws on its feet clenching into the snowy earth around them.

It was hard to believe that thing was human at one point.

“Lewis…” Vivi’s voice cut through the eerie silence like a knife. While their friend looked much more human than the creature next to him, he still didn’t look the way he should. Somehow his limbs had elongated even more in the short time they had left him alone, and he was hunched over as if his new form was throwing off his balance. Two tiny horns poked out from underneath his hair, his ears had changed as well, and his once gentle gaze was glossed over with something unfamiliar to them…bloodthirsty. Vivi was horrified to see no recognition in them. Now…they were just food for these two.

The wendigo pulled back its lips in a low snarl, its sharp teeth dripping with more blood, and Lewis flinched as he lowered even more to the ground. Was it reprimanding him? It was almost like scolding a child. That seemed awfully sentient for such a vicious creature, then again, that was the same wendigo that had turned Lewis as well. For all they knew, it could very well think Lewis was its “child”.

Vivi nearly jumped when she felt a hand on her shoulder and risked a look to her left to see Arthur there. Mystery was on the other side of her, heckles raised. “How many bullets do we have?” Arthur whispered, too afraid to have his voice any higher.

It took Vivi a second to remember. “J-just four.”

Then they’d have to make them count. Arthur didn’t like their chances, especially with Lewis there. He knew their friend would never hurt them intentionally but…he wasn’t himself right now.

The wendigo twitched, making all eyes snap to it, including Lewis’. It inclined its head towards the prey and another growl filled the air.

Her reaction was instant. Vivi barely had enough time to push Arthur out of the way before Lewis lunged at them, but only managed to tear at the snow. From the shove, Arthur narrowly avoided falling on his face, instead catching himself on a tree instead. When he turned back, he paled when he realized Lewis was staring right at him.

So much for too scrawny.

“Arthur!” Vivi cried out and he managed to tear his eyes away from the monster his friend had become.

“I’m okay!” Somehow. But by the look on Lewis’ face, he wasn’t going to stay that way for long.

Arthur’s mind was racing. Vivi was the one with the gun and they still had no idea if silver bullets would have any effect on a wendigo. One thing was for certain, they weren’t planning on using Lewis as their guinea pig. The only option then was to distract him somehow…

Arthur swallowed. At least he was a fast runner.

–

Vivi didn’t even have a chance to yell a protest before Arthur took off like a bat out of hell, Lewis following close behind. She knew exactly what he was doing, and while she would love to sit Arthur down and tell him what a stupid plan it was to intentionally have their friend turning into a wendigo chase after him, right now they were left with little choice. They had to get Lewis away from the true wendigo. Maybe then…maybe its hold on him would weaken ever so slightly. He couldn’t be completely gone; the Lewis she loved had to still be in there somewhere.

But with Arthur and Lewis gone from the scene, Vivi focused her attention fully on the hellish abomination that was left and she reached down to her waist to grab a small pistol. Four bullets…that was it, and she really didn’t want to use them. Most of the time, the Mystery Skulls liked to settle things peacefully with the paranormal: help the spirit move on or help whatever was on the rampage. The gun was something she had gotten as a “just-in-case”. She never thought she’d actually have to use it.

The wendigo has looked out towards where Lewis had gone, and it was about to follow, but Vivi’s small movement made it jerk its head in her direction. She and Mystery froze, daring not to move…

But it was too late. The wendigo was focused on them now and lowered itself onto its front claws. Vivi barely had time to warn herself before it lunged to her. Lightning fast, she brought out the pistol and fired.

The shot rang out across the entire forest.

Vivi could only stare as the wendigo had stilled. The bullet had struck its leg and fresh blood oozed out the open wound. It didn’t seem to be having the same effect as a silver bullet would on a werewolf but at least it was injured. At least it-

A loud growling from beside her cut her thoughts off. The wendigo had begun to move again while she was lost in thought and then suddenly Mystery wasn’t beside her anymore and she could hear shrieking-!

Mystery had tackled the creature, taking it by surprise and bringing it to the ground he was biting, clawing, as much as he could, but he was merely grabbed and thrown into a nearby tree. Mystery yelped in pain, trembling as he hit the ground. And while the wendigo was distracted by its own injuries, Vivi raced over to her beloved dog. “Are you okay?!”

“V-Vivi…” Mystery replied, weakly looking up at her. “Run…”

She shook her head. “Like hell I’m going to leave you here!”

“It’s not after me…” He growled and glared behind her at the wendigo. “Just humans.”

Vivi was horrified to see that the gunshot wound she had issued before had vanished. Even as she watched it now, the wounds Mystery had given it were starting to heal right before her eyes.

Okay, so brute force and silver bullets were out. And with that, so were Vivi’s ideas. She only had three bullets left. If she ran, she could probably use them to stall it at least and get a head start, but…

God. Arthur had already gone off. She didn’t want Mystery to be alone too!

_“Go!”_ Mystery urged with a weak nudge to her side. “I’ll be fine. You need to find safety! We need to regroup and figure something else out!”

Lewis didn’t have that kind of time. They had to finish this tonight, otherwise…

But right now she had little choice either. “If you die, I swear I’m gonna bring you right back from hell and kill you again.”

Mystery gave a pained grin. “L-likewise…”

By the time the wendigo managed to get to its feet, wounds completely healed, Vivi was already gone. It ignored Mystery and quickly gave chase.

–

Arthur heaved his breaths but his legs didn’t stop. Lewis was still hot on his trail and he couldn’t afford to stop now. His lungs would hate him later but at least he’d be alive.

Hopefully.

He quickly avoided a tree branch and pulled it back in the process, letting it go behind him. From the screech that followed, he’d say it hit its target. “Sorry Lew!” Arthur called back, wincing at the noise. He really didn’t want to hurt Lewis but he had to keep his lead somehow.

It was starting to wear on him however. Already his body was covered in scratches from his dash through the woods, the worst being a large cut on his forehead from running into a branch himself. To make matters worse, even with trying to stall Lewis, he was gaining on him quicker and quicker. His movements were starting to change, getting more fluid rather than ragged as he easily maneuvered around the trees. That wasn’t good. He was getting used to his new form. They were running out of time!

He tried to be hopeful, tried to hold out for Vivi and for Lewis…but at the rate he was going…

It must have been karma, or his horrible luck, but a tree root that was barely visible in the snow caught Arthur’s foot as he passed by, making him yelp as he fell. He was gasping for air, blood staining the pure white snow. Only a second, he just needed a second to catch his breath.

Much to his dismay, Arthur realized too late how much that second cost him. All of the air left his lungs when he felt a weight land on top of his back, one set of claws tearing into his vest and another forcing his head into the snow.

Oh god, this was it. He was going to die. Worse, he was going to be eaten alive by his best friend.

“L-Lew…!” Arthur managed to turn his head to the side and was barely able to get the words out. “P-please bud…I know you’re in there…” He grimaced as he felt his skull slowly being crushed. “You s-said you d-didn’t want to eat m-me, remember?”

Maybe it was just his imagination but it almost felt like the pressure has stopped increasing. It was still hard to breathe but Arthur kept pushing. “Vivi wouldn’t…doesn’t want you to be l-like this… Sh-she’s probably dealing with the th-thing that turned you into this r-right now…”

Now he was certain he wasn’t imagining it. The hold was getting weaker. Lewis was still in there! “She’s t-trying to help you, Lewis…we all are… I k-know you’re better than this, Lew…!” The mention of Vivi had to be enough…

Arthur watched as best he could as Lewis’ eyes started to change. The viciousness in them began to fade started to be replaced with their proper gentle mulberry. “A…Arth̶u̡ŕ?”

There it was: recognition. Arthur swore his tears were freezing to his cheeks but he couldn’t care less. Lewis said his name. “Hey, big guy…”

He gasped for air when Lewis wrenched himself off of him and slowly pushed himself up into a sitting position, holding his head. “Oh my g̡ód̕!“ Lewis exclaimed, horrified as he backed away to give Arthur some space. “Arthur, are you –oh god, I’m so͠ ̷sor͞ry! I wasn’t– I just– I ḑi̡dn̵'̨t–!”

“S’okay Lew…” Arthur stopped him weakly, trying to ease out the throbbing pain in his skull.

“I̛t̛'͟s̀ ̛n͝o̢t okay! I could’ve– I almost _k̷ìll̷e̸d_ you!”

“But…you didn’t.” Chuckling, Arthur hung on to his smile as he looked up at his friend. His body was still changing, but inside, Lewis was still there. Right now, that was all that mattered. “You broke free… You’re still you. I’m…I’m glad.” He wiped some tears away quickly. “I really thought…you were gone for good there for a second…”

Lewis drooped, lowering himself onto his front claws for balance. “You’re bleeding…”

“I’m okay, really…” Well that wasn’t completely true, he was starting to see red from the blood on his forehead running into his eyes, but at least everything around him had stopped spinning now that he could catch his breath. “B-besides…we got bigger things to worry about. You…” Arthur swallowed. “Vivi and Mystery are with the other wendigo. We g…gotta find them and get you back to normal, big guy.” Arthur blindly reached up and managed to snag another tree branch to pull himself up onto his feet. He had rested enough. “D-do you think you’ll be okay? Or…or will you go back to what you were like before if you…get close to it?”

“I…think I'͢l̨l ͝be͝ ͞oka͝y for now.” With Arthur there, and hopefully Vivi and Mystery too, Lewis was hoping they could keep him grounded. It worked once, it could work again, right? “Do you need help walking?”

Arthur gave him a look. “…This isn’t a trick s-so you can eat me, is it?”

It thrilled Lewis that Arthur was still comfortable enough to joke around with him, even when he looked like this. “I told you before, Artie…you͜'̸r͢é ̴t͞oo s̨c͏ráwn̵ý.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The end here. Another warning, some graphic imagery at the very end.

He was certain something was broken. Every step he trudged along hurt more and more, but he hardly cared. All of them were in trouble. For all he knew, they could already be gone, but he had to try. He would give his life for them all.

“Mystery!”

The not-dog could have collapsed from relief when he heard the voice. “Arthur…” Mystery replied weakly as a shock of yellow came into view. “You’re alive…”

Arthur gently eased Mystery into lying down. “Yeah…bruised but alive.” He bit his lip. “You look way more than bruised though, bud… Your leg…”

“I’m fine.”

Arthur gave him a look. “It’s practically twisted all the way around. Between you and Lewis, I’m gonna have to start banning that word.”

“Lewis?” Mystery’s ears perked at the name. There was something behind Arthur, a giant hulking figure that almost looked like he was going to pounce. Instead, he merely nudged Arthur.

“You’re not one to talk, Artie…”

That voice. Mystery began to growl and Lewis quickly backed away. “Whoa, whoa, Mystery it’s okay. Lew’s…” Arthur had to stop himself from uttering a certain word he was just chastising them for. “Lew’s better. He’s himself.”

“…Are you sure?” Mystery didn’t look convinced, especially with the weak grin Arthur gave in return.

“He didn’t eat me when he had the chance. That’s gotta mean something, right?” Nervously, Arthur shrugged. “He’s okay, I promise.” For now, at least.

Now wasn’t the time to dwell on that anyway. They were getting distracted. “Where’s Vivi?” Arthur asked before Mystery could get another word in. “Where’s the wendigo? Why are you by yourself?!” Lewis tensed when he realized what Arthur was implying, but he remained silent. “Don’t tell me it…it got her…”

Mystery’s silence didn’t help. He turned his head to further into the woods, and a path marked by rampaging footprints that were starting to fade in the snowfall. “The silver didn’t work. I…told her to run. To find a place to hide. She ran… I don’t know what happened to her after that.”

The hulking figure behind Arthur began to tremble, catching Mystery’s attention. Now he looked horrified. He was…concerned for Vivi. That wasn’t acting; that was genuine fear for her. “N-no…nonono-!” He clutched at his messy hair and his pupils shrunk to mere pinpricks. This was his fault. He was the one who had gotten bitten, he was the one who had separated them all. “Vivi – she can’t – oh god no please don’t say that I-!”

“Stop it Lew!” Mystery watched in slight awe as Arthur shook Lewis from his shoulders to snap him out of it. Arthur, the one who was most hesitant about anything paranormal, who was the first to get the hell outta dodge at the first sign of danger…was talking to this giant monster like he was scolding a puppy (no, not a monster, _Lewis)._ “This isn’t your fault, alright?

But he had always been like that; always helping Lewis and his friends before himself. Mystery couldn’t help but admire that about Arthur. “Come on. You know Vivi wouldn’t die that easily. She’s alive, I know it. But we’re not just gonna stand here while she could be in trouble, right?”

It took a moment but Lewis did relax a little. “R-right… You’re right. I’m sorry, I-”

“Don’t be, I get it.” This whole situation was completely screwed up. He wished they had never taken this case at all, but it was too late to say that now. And that monster needed to be stopped, regardless if they were here or not. “So c’mon. I’ll carry Mystery. They left a trail for us to follow.”

–

“What is this place…?”

Arthur shined his flashlight around. “I don’t see any signs, but if I had to guess, it’s an old factory of some kind.” He pointed the flashlight back to the ground. “Her footprints end here so…she must be inside.” Trust Vivi to hide in the scariest place possible. But at least inside she wouldn’t leave any footprints for something unwanted to follow her.

Lewis had requested that he carry Mystery instead of Arthur. He wasn’t exactly a small dog, nor was he light, and Mystery reluctantly agreed after a time. If Lewis tried anything, Mystery would be right there to stop him, and Lewis was more than fine with that.

They quickly made their way inside, listening for any sort of noise that would indicate Vivi or the wendigo was still here. For all they knew, they could have moved on somewhere else, or…

No, they couldn’t think like that. She was still alive. She had to be.

“It’s still here.” Lewis’ voice broke the tense silence. His inhuman ears twitched. “I’m sure of that at least.”

“How?” Mystery eyed Lewis warily, ready to bite if it came to that (which he prayed it wouldn’t).

“It sounds weird but…it’s like I can sense it or something. I just know somehow.” The young wendigo laughed, hollowed with bitterness. “I think it’s because that’s the one that turned me…but that’s just a hunch.”

Come to think of it, the other wendigo did seem to have some sort of power over Lewis. Wendigoes were elusive creatures. Not even Mystery was certain about them, so maybe it wasn’t much of a stretch to think that an older one would have power or some sort of mental link over those it turned. “Then if it’s still here, Vivi is too.” And Arthur had a hunch that if they found one, the other couldn’t be far behind.

“Wait Arthur.” Just as he was about to take off again, Mystery stopped him. “We need a plan. We can’t take care if it without one. Not again.”

Right. They could very well find the wendigo, but what then? “Lewis.” As much as Lewis hated it when Mystery addressed him like that, he supposed he deserved it. “I know this is scary but is there anything you know now that could help us? Anything at all?” And now the young wendigo had effectively become their last hope. He didn’t like how both Mystery and Arthur were looking at him.

“I…think I do.”

–

She was safe…for now.

Vivi sighed as she slid down the wall to catch her breath. It felt like she had been running nonstop for hours, which she very well may have been. But for now she had managed to lose the wendigo in the basement of this creepy factory.

She’d had enough running for her life for a while, thank you very much.

For every sound she heard, however, Vivi held her breath. She had no doubt that thing would be able to hear a pin drop in the tundra outside, let alone her breathing in a quiet place like this.

She wasn’t cowering though, no way. Lewis didn’t have time for her to be scared. She was just catching her breath and trying to form a strategy. But…what options did they have left? The bullets were out and there was no way her or Arthur (if he was even still alive) could fight that thing if Mystery couldn’t. She still had her bat but that wouldn’t help much either. There had to be something, anything, that could save Lewis.

Vivi froze when she heard loud footsteps on the railing above her. They were heaving and menacing and-

And…it sounded like several people clacking away up there. Vivi sucked in another breath and risked a look upwards from her hiding spot, praying that wasn’t just wishful thinking.

It was hard to make out from where she was but it did look like several shadows above her. Vivi swallowed and decided to risk it once again. “G…guys?”

The footsteps stopped and for a moment Vivi saw her life flash before her eyes for the umpteenth time during this whole case. A light soon shined over the railing. “Vivi?!” The voice was familiar and Vivi sighed in relief.

“Arthur, tell me that’s you please.”

She heard soft and relieved laughter. “It’s me. Mystery’s here too, and Lewis.”

Lewis?! Before she could question that, Arthur spoke up again. “Where are you?”

“Uh…b-below you, but-”

“Sweet. We’ll be down with you in just a second, Vi.”

“Wait-!” Her words died in her throat when she swore she heard Lewis’ voice up there as well. It was muffled, and there was something wrong with it, like he was straining to talk, but there was no mistaking that low baritone anywhere.

The shadows moved above her and Vivi almost screamed when a giant hulking figure fell from the railing and landed in front of her. On instinct she reached to grab her bat, if nothing else to stun the creature, but that same familiar voice stopped her. “Vivi…”

Oh, it had only been a few hours but she had missed that voice deeply. “L-Lewis?” She stood up on shaky legs. “Lewis, is…is that really you?”

She could see his face now between the shadows and the strands of messy purple hair, and he smiled sadly. “It’s me…I swear.”

Vivi hated being skeptical. “…How? I thought you had…”

“Arthur brought me back.” She watched as something crawled off of Lewis’ back. It was a gasping Arthur. “He…made sure I didn’t hurt anyone.”

_“Please_ don’t do that again, Lew,” Arthur wheezed.

“S-sorry. I guess I got a little carried away.”

Vivi smiled. Even their slight bickering left her feeling a little better. Lewis was still in there. Now they just needed to keep it that way. “Mystery?”

“Right here, Vivi.” Her precious pooch peeked his head out from behind Lewis then slid down his back as well with a small wince. “How are you? Are you injured at all?”

She shook her head. “I’m fine, just exhausted. But guys, we have a problem. The silver-”

“We know,” Arthur interrupted her. “Mystery told us. But well…I think I have an idea.”

Vivi stared, and from the looks on Lewis and Mystery’s faces, they knew what this idea was already. “You…you do?”

“Yeah. Lewis gave me the idea and this old factory still has a few useful things. I think I saw what we needed on the way to find you.”

–

It was close. The hideous creature was well aware that its prey was in here somewhere, but it had managed to get away behind all of this metal. There were so many other sounds and smells here; the metallic aroma was dulling its senses to what it really wanted.

It could hear footsteps. Several, actually. Some were very loud, almost like something was falling over and onto the metal flooring. It headed in that direction.

Was its kin here too? As it stalked further in, it could catch the faint scent of the one it had turned, of blood, and…something else. It was an unfamiliar scent, but it wasn’t human so it paid the smell no attention.

One of them was close. It took long and quiet steps (the floor was much too loud). And soon it saw its prey. The yellow one.

It charged.

–

“Shit-!”

The wendigo had gotten to them faster than they anticipated. Arthur paled as he saw it approach and barely managed to jump out of the way in time to avoid its tackle.

He bolted. The plan wasn’t ready yet. The others were nearby but he didn’t want the wendigo to ruin what they had already done by coming in early. Unfortunately it was faster than him. Arthur could practically feel it right on his heels and its claws swiping at him.

Luckily the calvary was there to save the day. Another hulking form tackled the wendigo from the side, causing the both of them to tumble to the ground. “Lew!”

“Go!” Lewis growled back, using all of his strength to keep the creature pinned for as long as he could. “Keep up with the plan! She’s almost finished getting the last of i-!”

He was quickly thrown against the wall and he cried out in pain. Every inch of Arthur wanted to race over to his friend, but as the wendigo zeroed in on him again, he froze.

“Arthur, go!” Lewis yelled again. “I’ll keep stalling him, just move!”

Finally his legs decided to work again. He didn’t want to leave Lewis like this. He could get hurt or killed or…put under its control again. Arthur wasn’t sure which option was worse.

But he had to go if they wanted any hope of saving everyone. He just had to trust and believe in Lewis…

–

With Arthur running off, the wendigo tried to make another dash at him but Lewis was there to stop it once again. Each time he was thrown off, he got right back up. There was no pain from this fight. The only pain he could feel was-

Lewis paused. The wendigo had stopped attacking him and was just…standing there. Why was it staring at him?

_‘Hunger. Starving. Feed. They’re here, the food, you won’t be in pain anymore.’_

Lewis shook his head. He may heal quickly but the pain of hunger was always there. It was unbearable at first but he had powered through it because of Arthur, because of Vivi, and because he knew he had to if they wanted any chance to make it out of this alive.

But now…it was suddenly getting harder and harder to resist.

_‘So hungry. They’re so close. You can smell them, you can taste them, and then everything will feel better.’_

The wendigo stalked closer to him as Lewis tugged at his hair, desperately trying to block out the nagging voice. His head was pounding, his stomach _aching,_ and he just wanted it to _**stop!**_

“Lewis, move!”

Vivi’s voice barely reached him but Lewis managed to gain realization just in time. The wendigo was distracted by her voice as well so Lewis took the time to move out of the way. Now Arthur and Vivi had a clear shot.

Between the two of them, Arthur and Vivi had managed to carry a large bucket filled with some sort of liquid. As soon as Lewis was out of the way, they both used all of their strength to lurch the bucket forward and throw all of its contents onto the disturbing creature.

It shrieked when the liquid connected and tried to shake it off its fur. And then it stopped. That strange smell from before was back and worse than ever. It was the liquid that smelled this way.

“Now Arthur!”

He didn’t need to be told twice. While the wendigo was distracted by the gasoline, Arthur reached into his vest pocket and pulled out a box of matches. He lit a match with practiced ease and flicked it at the wendigo. _“Get down!”_

He missed the direct hit. But luckily for all of them, a puddle had formed under the creature and it lit up instantly. The wendigo screamed in absolute agony. Its wails were piercing, causing everyone to cover their ears.

But the fire was doing its job, and the gasoline, plus its fur, ensured that the fire was not going to be put out no matter how hard it tried. The smell of burning fur and flesh soon filled the air, nearly making the Skulls gag.

Morbid curiosity made Vivi peek an eye open to watch and she immediately wished she hadn’t. The way the wendigo flailed and its body wracked with pain as the fire burned away its flesh was… Vivi didn’t even want to think of the word.

Wait. Lewis! The wendigo was dying, so…

With trepidation, Vivi tore her eyes away from the screaming creature and tried to find Lewis. She didn’t need to look hard, thankfully. There he was, writhing in his own agony in a nearby corner. Vivi’s heart leapt in her throat and she quickly ran over to him, vaguely aware of Arthur and Mystery chasing after her. “Lewis!” She called, putting her hands on his shoulders as her boyfriend clawed at the floor and metal screeches filled the air as well.

But Lewis could only whimper. While the transformation into the wendigo was relatively painless, since it happened so gradually, this one was absolute hell. It felt like his entire body was being torn apart; his cells literally rewriting themselves all at once. The Skulls watched in shocked awe as Lewis’ claws began to retract, his fangs began to diminish, his limbs begin to shrink, and his horns loosening and eventually falling off his head.

Finally, as the desperate screams of the wendigo started to fade, Lewis collapsed onto his stomach with one more groan. “Lew…?” Vivi said softly, giving his back a few gentle rubs. Arthur was by his other side in an instant. “Are you…?”

Slowly Lewis opened one eye and tried his best to look at them all. “I’ll…b’ fine…” he slurred, exhaustion more than evident in his tone. Arthur didn’t even have the heart to correct his choice of words. At least this time it was actually genuine.

Biting his lip, Arthur risked a look back at the burned wendigo but quickly turned away, fighting off the urge to vomit. Best…not to look at that ever again. “C-c’mon, big guy…let’s get you out of here.”

That was it then. It was over, right? Lewis was okay and back to normal and…

Somehow they had lived through that. As both Arthur and Vivi wrapped Lewis’ arms around their shoulders and Mystery limped beside them, they pointedly avoided looking at the carcass. They all felt sick. Killing that creature was not their first choice, but it left them with little options.

They all deserved a _hell_ of a long rest after that.


End file.
